Lion Links: 6/6/24

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope June has been treating you well as we all get ready for a weekend packed with soccer. I’ve been having a fairly decent week and enjoyed dinner with friends earlier this week for my birthday, so I can’t complain too much. Let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Learning More About Abdi Salim

Orlando City B defender Abdi Salim was the latest player to share about his soccer journey for fans to learn more about Orlando’s players. Born in Kenya near the country’s border with Somalia, Salim spoke on how he and his family moved to the U.S. to escape war. He was recently called up to play for Somalia, which is the home of both of his parents, for World Cup qualifiers on Friday and Monday. He also talked about his friendship with Jeorgio Kocevski, as the two played together even before being teammates at Syracuse and then reunited when Orlando drafted Kocevski earlier this year. Although he’s a fan of music, Salim stated that he doesn’t listen to it before matches since he did it once when he was younger and played poorly.

Orlando Pride Excelling At All Levels

After spending the past few years rebuilding, the Orlando Pride have been enjoying a record-breaking season that has them atop the NWSL standings after 11 games. Zambian striker Barbra Banda has certainly been a revelation for the Pride’s offense, scoring goals and opening things up for her teammates. With four shutouts and only 10 goals allowed so far, the defense deserves plenty of praise as well. The Pride have thrived in spite of injuries, as Emily Sams, Kylie Strom, and Kerry Abello have shifted along the back line to great effect. The midfield has faced similar adversity, but young players like Summer Yates and Ally Lemos have stepped up when needed. It’s been a team effort across every position for the Pride, and they’ll aim to extend their win streak tomorrow night against the San Diego Wave.

USMNT Players Prepare For an Important June

With the Copa America on the horizon, many United States Men’s National Team players will have a chance to impress when the team takes on Colombia and Brazil in friendlies to get ready for the tournament. There will be plenty of focus on how the team will cope without right back Sergino Dest, and Joe Scally is the most likely option at Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s disposal. Scally did well with Borussia Moenchengladbach this season and could solidify himself as the team’s right back after these friendlies. These matches will also be a good opportunity for attackers like Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and Malik Tillman. It will also be interesting to see if Mark McKenzie can enter the mix among the available center backs.

U-20 Women’s World Cup Draw Unveiled

There are many tournaments to look forward to this summer, including the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. It’s the 11th edition of the tournament and the first with the expanded format that includes 24 teams in six groups of four. The draw for the tournament was completed and the U.S. will face off against Spain, Paraguay, and Morocco during the group stage. The U.S. will start its tournament with a tough game against Spain, the reigning champion, on Sept. 1 before playing Morocco on Sept. 4 and Paraguay on Sept. 7. The Pride’s Ally Lemos has recently been with the U.S. U-20 team for friendlies and will likely be making the trip to Colombia for the tournament.

Napoli Names Antonio Conte as Next Manager

After finishing 10th in the Serie A standings, Napoli has announced Antonio Conte as the team’s new manager. Conte joins the Italian club on a three-year contract and it is his first coaching job since leaving Tottenham in March of 2023. The 54-year-old knows how to win Serie A, as he claimed the league title in each of his three years with Juventus and then again with Inter Milan in 2021. He’s also the fifth manager for Napoli in a little over a year, as the club tried and failed to find the right coach to replace Luciano Spalletti after winning the title last year.

Free Kicks

• St. Louis City midfielder Chris Durkin claimed MLS Goal of the Matchday for his strike against Inter Miami, garnering 48% of the vote.
• Here’s how MLS All-Star voting is going, and there are predictably no Lions as frontrunners at any position.
• Minnesota United has signed 25-year-old attacking midfielder Samuel Shashoua and he will join the team when the secondary transfer window opens in July.
• Paris Saint-Germain reportedly hasn’t paid Kylian Mbappe a bonus and two months of pay that totals $86 million.
• Igor Tudor has resigned as Lazio’s manager only three months after taking the job.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!